Pestilent Spirit MTG Card
Mana cost | |
Converted mana cost | 3 |
Rarity | Rare |
Type | Creature — Spirit |
Abilities | Deathtouch,Menace |
Released | 2019-01-25 |
Set symbol | |
Set name | Ravnica Allegiance |
Set code | RNA |
Power | 3 |
Toughness | 2 |
Number | 81 |
Frame | 2015 |
Layout | Normal |
Border | Black |
Illustred by | Anastasia Ovchinnikova |
Text of card
Menace, deathtouch Instant and sorcery spells you control have deathtouch. (Any amount of damage they deal to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
Its stench corrodes steel. Its miasma sickens angels. Its finality ends hope.
Cards like Pestilent Spirit
Pestilent Spirit from Magic: The Gathering serves as a unique menace to your adversaries, sharing similarities with other creatures that bolster your spells. It is kindred to Firefist Striker in its ability to intensify the pressure on your opponent, yet Pestilent Spirit raises the stakes with deathtouch, transforming even your most inconsequential spells into lethal weapons. This mirrors the capability of other creatures like Deathbringer Thoctar, which also use your actions to deal damage, but Pestilent Spirit’s enchantment to spells adds a strategic edge.
Comparably, Dire Fleet Daredevil ventures into similar territory by utilizing spells from your opponent’s graveyard, offering a different form of spell enhancement. However, Pestilent Spirit secures its niche by focusing on your own spells, specifically instants and sorceries, granting them deathtouch and ensuring any damage they do is potentially fatal. The distinction lies in the proactive empowerment Pestilent Spirit bestows upon your existing arsenal.
In essence, while there are creatures that share traits with Pestilent Spirit, its unique blend of defensive and offensive capabilities combined with its spell enhancing effect solidifies its position as a distinctive and potent asset in player’s decks across the realms of Magic: The Gathering.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Pestilent Spirit enhances the power of your single-target removal spells, often negating the need to use more cards to deal with larger threats. Its menace ability also means it can be more difficult for opponents to block, potentially drawing out more of their resources to handle it.
Resource Acceleration: While the spirit itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it can lead to a quicker board state advantage. This indirect resource acceleration is pivotal in matches where tempo dictates the winner.
Instant Speed: This creature gives all your instant and sorcery spells with damage the deathtouch ability. This allows you to effectively turn any damage-dealing spell into a removal spell at instant speed, greatly increasing the utility and threat of your instants against creatures.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Pestilent Spirit doesn’t demand a discard, but its synergy with spells that deal damage can lead to depleting your hand quickly. Balancing spells and creatures becomes crucial when integrating this card into your deck.
Specific Mana Cost: Pestilent Spirit requires one black mana and two other mana to cast. This specific mana cost can restrict its integration into multicolor decks, especially those not centered around black mana or without efficient mana fixing.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Three mana for a 3/2 creature might seem reasonable, but when compared to other creatures in the same mana range, Pestilent Spirit’s Menace and deathtouch abilities might not compensate for its lack of immediate board impact or the risk of being removed before utilizing its ability to give your instant and sorcery spells deathtouch.
Reasons to Include Pestilent Spirit in Your Collection
Versatility: Pestilent Spirit brings a unique dynamic to the battlefield. Its capability to give instant and sorcery spells deathtouch provides an advantage in controlling the board across multiple game formats. This makes it a flexible addition to decks that focus on spells with damage output.
Combo Potential: The spirit is a linchpin for inventive combos. Imagine pairing it with cheap damage spells; this transforms otherwise minor pings into lethal threats for any creature your opponent dares to play, opening up new avenues for strategic victories.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where creature-based strategies prevail, Pestilent Spirit gains significance. Its synergy with area-of-effect damage spells can turn the tide of the game, shifting the meta in your favor while others are still caught in traditional tactics.
How to beat Pestilent Spirit
Pestilent Spirit is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering that can turn sorcery and instant spells into lethal weapons due to its deathtouch ability. This means that any noncombat damage dealt by a spell you control also involves deathtouch, potentially wiping out enemy creatures with even a single point of damage. The spirit’s menace trait isn’t to be underestimated either, as it requires at least two creatures to block it.
To effectively tackle Pestilent Spirit, consider removal spells that don’t deal damage, thus bypassing its deathtouch ability. Cards that force a player to sacrifice a creature can be particularly effective, as they don’t interact directly with the spirit, ensuring a safe removal without losing your creatures in the process. Enchantment-based exile effects offer another clean solution to deal with the menacing spirit. Keeping your board versatile and ready to adapt is key when facing off against this threat. In summary, the best way to beat Pestilent Spirit is through strategic play, using removals that work around its abilities, and always being prepared for its surprise attacks.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Pestilent Spirit MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Pestilent Spirit and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Pestilent Spirit has restrictions
Format | Legality |
---|---|
Historicbrawl | Legal |
Historic | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Gladiator | Legal |
Pioneer | Legal |
Commander | Legal |
Modern | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Duel | Legal |
Explorer | Legal |
Penny | Legal |
Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Pestilent Spirit card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
Date | Text |
---|---|
2019-01-25 | An instant or sorcery spell must actually deal damage to a creature for it to be destroyed. Simply targeting a creature isn’t enough. If the spell instructs another object to deal damage, the spell doesn’t deal any damage itself and its instance of deathtouch doesn’t apply. Dealing 0 damage isn’t dealing damage. |